Category Archives: College Basketball

Wanted to drop a note and give you fun bit-o-news. I have signed on to be the lead blogger at Dunking with Wolves, a Minnesota Timberwolves blog. This blog is part of a great team blog network at FanSided.com which covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more.

I have enjoyed have a solo-blog and trying to create interest myself, but I am excited to be a part of a team and really refine my craft by focusing on a team that I love and followed for many years.

Looks like it is time for my monthly post. 🙂 Sorry, I have been away and not blogging, but then I again, I have no idea if anyone reads this. So there.

I added Twitter to the right column. Though it might be a nice way to give a thought in 140 characters or less and not blog on it. In that way of thinking, I am doing to does this blog a variety of topics, with 140 characters or less in each response. If you think I am lying, enter it into your twitter account.

NBA Playoffs –

Cavs Vs. Bulls: I hope Chicago enjoyed their only win of the series. Expect the Cavs to win next game by 20 pts or more. Bulls=younger Cavs w/out LeBron.

Magic Vs. Bobcats: If the refs can loosen up a bit, the Magic should run away with it. Actually, they will anyways, even w/Howard only playing 25 mins a game.

Hawks Vs. Bucks: Bucks will got 1 in Milwaukee, but that’s it. This series is over in 5. Jennings can’t do it alone, so who is going to help him? Salmons?

Celtics Vs. Heat: Unless the Heat sign a max player tonight – this series will be over in no more than two games. I feel bad for Wade. He looked tired.

Lakers Vs. Thunder: Is Kobe injured? Is the the Thunder just that good? This seems to be the best series of Round one -expect Thunder to be around for awhile.

Mavs Vs. Spurs: These teams always play tough games. I expect the next to be the same, but I don’t see how the Mavs come back to take this series.

Suns and Blazers: Is Brandon Roy the 6 Million $ Man? The Blazers are totally different when he is healthy. This series goes seven – Suns win.

All in all the playoffs have been very good – even the Magic and Bobcats series. Here are the key factors to this playoffs so far:

Match-Ups – how the individual is able to exploit an advantage.

Team Is Greater – we are saw this in March Madness and we are see all over the NBA.

Coaches Do Matter – If George Karl is on the bench, that series is very different. Look at Scott Brooks with the Thunder *Same can not be said for the Bulls – they would get beat with Phil Jackson.

Physical Play – How teams can adjust or adapt to refs letting more physical play go.

Deeper Teams Can Handle the Load – When Jason Terry went down holding his ankle – the Mavs season was done – it will be done very quickly anyways – but they still believe there is a chance.

NFL Draft: Vikings were disappointing to me. Lions drafted well on paper. ESPN sucked every moment they possible could out of the draft, and Mel Kiper.

MLB: The Twins are World Champs. Maybe not – yet. Love the line-up, new stadium & uniforms. Would love another legit starting pitcher. Anyone?

An NBA draft piece will get that out once the lottery balls fall in place . And while the TWolves have a very good chance at the No. 1 pick, I am not sure they want it. WHAT? No John Wall? There will be more to come and I sure David Kahn will say things that only kinda-sorta make sense. But I have hope!

I love this time of year. It is starting to get very nice outside, golf courses are opening, and my life has been crazy busy. I will not bore with that, because I am sure we ll can say the same thing – but it has been worse than usual.

I stayed up way to late watch the double-overtime game between Xavier and Kansas State. What a crazy game. It was maybe one of the best games I have seen all year. Just as it should be!

Thoughts of Madness

I have been so busy that I did not even get invitations out for my bracket from CBSSports.com out to all the people involved, and I have had it for 3 years. Oh well. On my work brackets, I am boarder-line screwed. I picked Kansas to win and well….DAMN IT!

Here is my quick run down of how things are going at this moment.

No. 1 Seeds – DAMN IT! We have lost the two teams most thought would make it to the Final Four. I wonder how long it will take for Kentucky’s Final Four appearance to be erased due to violations of something?!

Ohio State looks tough. They are not deep, but they may have the best starting five left in the tourney and the match-up with Tennessee will be showcase some very good match-ups. UT’s Wayne Chism vs. OSU’s Dallas Lauderdale. UT’s Scottie Hopson vs. OSU’s Evan Turner.

General Theme of Tourney: Playing as a Team > Team of Talent.

Northern Iowa did want NDSU was not able to do last year. I think they can run to the Final Four – we will find out tonight. This is not the Michigan State from last season – even with Kalin Lucas. I remember Ben Jacobson when he was playing at UND – I liked him then.

West Virginia is looking legit and I still not sure why and a Match-up with Kentucky will be physical!

St. Mary’s has legit size and skill, I could see them getting past Baylor and Duke. First things first. Baylor and St. Mary match-up very well. but remember the “General Theme of the Tourney”.

Duke has beat Purdue the last two times they met, and that was with Robbie Hummel. Duke is too tough in the front-court – don’t think that has been said in the last 5 years.

Final Four Predictions – West Virginia, Ohio State, Kansas State and the toughest call…Baylor. Not very legit when I do it so far into the game, but I don’t care. I will probably end up one-for-four.

I have enjoyed watching this tournament more than many in the past. There have been great games all over the place regardless of seeding. My brother and I were talking about a month a go and we said that any one team in the Top 25 could either win, or loose in the two rounds.

I am not sure we have seen the playing field so level as it has been this year.

Part of being popular in sports media is writing shocking and negative articles – take a look at Jason Whitlock. But Doug Gottlieb’s latest blog post on ESPN.com is not shocking, it just highlights the elephant in the room. While some may find it shocking, Gottlieb points some very “interesting” penalties and asks “Why do they always feel the same?”.

Here is the theme of Gottlieb’s blog post: When large college basketball programs get in trouble, it is to cover the ass of the football team.

“After watching USC take down eight consecutive opponents, including winning the Diamond Head Classic and starting off 2-0 in conference play, it seemed the tales of the demise of SC hoops had been greatly exaggerated. Then just like that — in a move swift, decisive and thorough — athletic director Mike Garrett announced there would be no postseason basketball for this rag-tag group of second-chance Trojans.

Garrett’s move is an attempt to precede the NCAA in their ultimate findings, but it also reeks of both hypocrisy and a soullessness that leaves most in college basketball thinking the same thing: USC does not care about its current basketball players or its basketball program. Instead, USC simply believes — at least in my mind and that of many others in the sport — that by giving up its hoop dreams, the NCAA will go light on the school’s football program.“

Gottlieb also points to other schools and their own issues. But when it came to the punishment, it was not the football teams who had scholarships taken away or postseasons taken away, but the sport that does not bring in as much money.

“Think about it realistically for a second. Look at the scandals in college sports over the past 20 years. Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State and Indiana have all been on basketball probation in the Big Ten alone (and Northwestern had a point-shaving scandal), yet no one in the league has broken a rule so severe that there has been a major scandal on the football side? Come on.“

I do not have any inside information, but it is tough to believe that, with all the suspensions and teams that have been on probation, that the rules were only broken by players and coaches who were sneakers and shorts and not cleats and helmets.

“But again, how do you punish the current team for the past team’s NCAA violations? I just don’t get it. There must be consequences, but where is the accountability of the athletic department? It seems as though the coaches and players on the current team are the only ones truly accepting the blame for past transgressions.”

Busy Basketball Weekend

The college basketball teams ranked No. 3-6 and 8, 10-14, 16-18, 19-21 and 23 are all playing on Saturday. Then on Sunday the No. 1, 7, 9, 15, 19, 22, 24, and 25 teams have games. And there are match-ups on ranked teams all over the place – some on television.

Saturday

Colorado at No. 2 Texas

Georgia at No. 3 Kentucky

No. 4 Purdue at No. 20 Wisconsin

No. 5 Duke at No. 17 Georgia Tech on ESPN

Marquette at No. 6 Villanova

No. 8 West Virginia at Notre Dame

No. 10 Kansas State at Missouri

No. 11 Michigan State at Iowa

No. 13 Connecticut at No. 12 Georgetown on ESPN

UNLV at No. 14 New Mexico

Miss. St at No. 16 Mississippi

No. 18 Gonzaga at Portland

Boston College at No. 21 Clemson

No. 23 BYU at UTEP

Sunday

No. 1 Kansas at No. 15 Tenn on CBS

South Florida at No. 7 Syracuse

Virginia Tech at No. 9 UNC

No. 19 Florida State at Maryland

No. 22 Washington at Arizona

No. 24 Butler at Detroit

No. 25 Temple at Rhode Island

That is every-single-team ranked in the USA Today Top 25 playing this weekend. That is nuts. But here are my picks of the bunch.

Duke at GT – GT had one of the best recruiting classes this year, headlined by the want to see GT’s super-freshmen Derrick Favors play. Favors was the No. 2 recruit in the nation last year and while he is not getting the headlines like other freshmen (John Wall and Xavier Henry), Favors is averaging 12.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 2.2 blocks per game.

Kansas at Tennessee – Does anyone know what is happening or going to happen to the players arrested? I think they are suspend indefinitely, so this match-up may not be as close as it would be with Tyler Smith in the line-up. Still these are both talented teams, but Kansas is just bigger than Tennessee. Update – Smith has been dismissed from the team.

Purdue at Wisconsin – I know that Big Ten basketball can be very painful to watch, but this is the Boilmakers first real road test at the toughest place to play in the Big Ten – i.e. Duke in ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

UNLV at New Mexico – I know nothing about either of these teams, but there is buzz surrounding both teams. Should be a tough conference game.

NFL Playoffs Getting Started

The first round of the playoffs are also happening this weekend. And there are two rematch from last week with Philly and Dallas and Green Bay at Arizona. A lot people are picking upsets and home teams losing. Here are match-ups:

Saturday

NY Jets at Cincinnati

Philadelphia at Dallas

Sunday

Baltimore at New England

Green Bay at Arizona

Every match-up really could go either way, but here are my quick thoughts.

New York beats Cincinnati, I have no real thoughts about this game.

But the Philly/Dallas game is very interesting. Was what we saw last week real with Philly? I am not sure. But I think The Eagles go back to Dallas and upset the Cowboys.

New England could struggle without Wes Welker, but I am not confident in the Ravens offense. So, I am picking New England.

Green Bay rolled over Arizona – or did the Cardinals roll-over when they knew there was nothing to play for? I think Green Bay wins again.

The Vikings will play either Dallas, Arizona or Green Bay next Sunday. I fear only the Cowboys – but the Cardinals beat the crap of the Vikings and it is very hard to beat a team three times in a season. But the Purple are playing at home.

Minnesota Timberwolve GM David Kahn Podcast

I listen to a lot of podcasts – ESPN has a ton – and one that I listen to is the NBA Today with Ryan Rusillo. He however is not the reason that I listen. Rusillo just thinks to much of himself and kind of drives me nuts, but he gets a lot of good guests on the podcast.

he latest podcast features an interview with T’Wolve GM David Kahn and they discussed the team and his thoughts on the future of the team. Click here to get to the NBA Today podcast page.

I saw this on ESPN.com the other night and I heard he was visiting this week. Jay Harris is ranked as the No. 15 point guard in the nation and No. 64 overall.

The 6’0″ guard from Oswego, IL, is looking at NDSU as well as the University of Northern Iowa and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

“Harris has a great feel for the game with his ball handing, passing, the ability to finish in transition and making plays one on one. Harris can also score in a variety of ways in addition to his ability to get his own shot. He can spot up behind the arc on the side of dribble penetration, come off screens and attack the basket in transition. Harris is terrific at scoring over or around taller defenders although his must get stronger in order to be as successful on the next level. Playing with Boatright really allowed Harris to be very productive at the shooting guard position although he is a true point. Harris also displayed the ability to defend both guard positions and he came up with a couple on ball and cover down post steals with his quick hands. Harris has the talent and basketball IQ to be a terrific college lead guard but he must make the weight room a priority” From ESPN.com.

If Harris signs, he would be the first Top 100 player to commit to the play in Fargo starting in the 2010 season, and the single biggest signing in NDSU basketball history.

Trayvonn Wirght, the 6’7″ 175 pound power forward from Waterloo, IA, has already signed to play for coach Saul Phillips and is rated as the 77th best power forward in the country.

“Wright excels in open court situations where he can use his athleticism to his benefit. He has the ability to score the ball in the paint with different finishes and uses the rim wisely to protect himself. Trayvonn was able to rebound the ball outside of his area and grab the ball at its highest point. However, he was uncomfortable with physical play and needs to learn how to take advantage of his quickness to combat opponent’s strength. Wright has limitations with his ball handling skills; he has no lateral movement in his dribble and cannot easily shift positions; when cut off on drives, he will spin. He has made tremendous strides since the end of the high school season and has a lot of upside.” From ESPN.com.

Landing those two players would be another substantial building block to the foundation that was laid with the plan to; sit the four seniors, Ben Woodside, Brent Winkelmen, Mike Nelson, Lucas Moormann, win the conference, and play in the NCAA tourney the first year eligible. We could not imgaine the extra hype of Woodside dropping 60 and getting Sportcenter shout-outs. But it helped.

The 2009-10 season may not be as successful in terms of wins, trophies and accolades, but it is necessary in building this program to the next level.